MILATOVICH, VINCENT Saloon-Provision
House-Winery
Vincent
Milatovich from Dubrovnik had one of the largest foreign delicacies business in
the State of Nevada during the 1860’s.
Vincent was in San Francisco in 1859 and had a liquor business at
Marysville, California in 1857. He
appeared in Virginia City, Nevada in 1863 with a grocery and liquor business at
67 No. C Street. In 1864 he owned the
Ophir Exchange Saloon and then owned his very successful V. Milatovich
provision business. Vincent located at Reno in 1870 and opened his V.
Milatovich Grocery and Liquor Store. He
took an extended trip to Dalmatia and turns up in San Francisco in 1878 at 1024
Stockton Street as a Capitalist. It is not known what his movements were after
this date, perhaps retirement. he was a
member of the Famous Knickerbocker Fire Engine Company at Virginia City in
1867. A noted writer on Nevada history notes the Milatovich clan in Virginia
City and gives extensive and interesting remarks about the family: The
Milatovich Association of Virginia City typified the foreign merchant
families. The Milatovich Grocery Store
at 93 No. C. Street and a nearby saloon had, in 1870, been providing the
community with foreign delicacies for almost a decade. In addition to Scotch, English, and Irish
whisky, Jamaica Rum, and French Brandy, the Milatovich’s specialized in French
and Italian wines, truffles, Italian mushrooms, roasted chestnuts, Italian,
English, Holland, Swiss, and California cheese, Dutch sardines and herrings,
Russian caviar, Pagoliano syrup, and dozens of other foreign items to please
the most discriminating epicure. During
the summer of 1869, Vincent Milatovich decided to retire to the sunny Adriatic,
but Andrew, along with other relatives, continued to direct the Comstock business,
including the first apparently the
largest winery ever operated in Nevada.
Adam
S. Eterovich